Having brought the intros back last week, for a ninth time over the past two years, I realised that this is an almost never-ending well that shows no signs of running dry. So here we are again, with a tenth selection. I’ve probably played most of these before at some point but not yet for their intros, so they seem like fair game. Strap yourself in for the ride!

Something rousing to get us started? Check:

For those of my generation, Deep Purple’s intro to Black Night is instantly recognisable. They released it as a single in June 1970, at the same time their breakthrough album Deep Purple In Rock came out. It wasn’t included on the album: that had to await the 25th anniversary reissue version. It was their seventh single and gave them their first UK hit: a biggie, getting to #2. It was, however, their sixth of those seven singles to make the US chart, though it only reached #66 over there. It was around the time that I was beginning to buy more of my music in albums than singles, but this one made me get both after they left it off the album. Money grabbers!

Slowing the pace down a little now, but I’m sure you’ll recognise this one, a true rock classic:

That was, of course, The Animals with House of the Rising Sun. They formed in Newcastle during 1962-3, with an original lineup of Eric Burdon on vocals, Hilton Valentine on lead guitar, Chas Chandler on bass, Alan Price on keyboards, and drummer John Steel. They had a gritty, bluesy sound which set them a little apart from other bands of the time, and were part of the ‘British Invasion’ of the US. They released this track in June 1964 as their second single and it was a big success, making #1 in both the UK and the US. The version in the video is the longer recording which was included on their debut US album, simply titled The Animals, which was released in September 1964 and peaked there at #7. It wasn’t included on the UK version of the album, which was released the following month and made #6 here. To date, it has never been on a UK studio album, though the full length version has since been included on compilations. As I said, it is a classic, and though the intro is shorter than some it is still instantly recognisable.

Having slowed the pace down I’m staying there for my next tune. Another short but well-known intro for this one:

The Band recorded The Weight for their debut album, Music From Big Pink, which was released in July 1968 and made #12 in their native Canada and #30 in the US, but didn’t chart in the UK. I bought it on the strength of hearing this song on the radio as a single taken from it in August of that year, which is potentially a risky thing to do. Not in this case, though: I loved the album, and still do. The single reached #21 here, #35 in Canada and only #63 in the US, so I think we made up a little for not buying the album in droves! The song was included in the movie Easy Rider but due to a contractual dispute it wasn’t on the soundtrack album we got here: it was re-recorded for that by a band called The Smiths – an American version, not the UK one of the same name fronted by the latter-day racist.

I’m closing today with one which, as far as I can tell, I have only played once before, which surprises me. As that was back in July 2021 – coincidentally in the same post as today’s opener – I think it is due another spin. The music doesn’t kick in for a minute or so but trust me, it’s worth it:

One of the best rock music videos ever made, in my view. The Darkness are a band that have never taken themselves too seriously and have been all the better for it. As the video shows, Everybody Have A Good Time was on their third album, Hot Cakes, which was released in August 2012, nearly seven years after their previous offering: a gap which was largely due to the addiction problems which had beset the band’s lead singer and songwriter, Justin Hawkins. It reached #4 here in the UK and #43 in the US. This was also released as a single but doesn’t appear to have charted anywhere – in fact, whilst their albums since then have all attained high chart positions in the UK and have been successful in several other countries, including the US, they haven’t had a hit single since 2006! But when they have given us gems like this one, does that really matter?

That’s a wrap for today, and as always I hope you enjoyed them. I’ll see you again in a couple of days for one of my more serious posts, and hope you’ll join me for it. Until then, have a great week 😊